by Robert Gonko
kept getting worse. “So what happens now?”
“I want to head back down there,” Steve said. “I might be able to poke around in places the police can't.”
“Meanwhile, I'll take over the search for your mother,” Charley said.
“That's going to have to wait,” Sam said. “I have another job for you.
He filled them in on the lawsuit and media coverage. “Told you Pullman's a jerk,” Steve said. “He needs to work for a tabloid or something, not a normal paper.”
“I'll get on it right away,” Charley said.
When the Bennetts left, Sam hoped he'd have the rest of the day to at least try to relax. This was not to be. Later that afternoon he got a phone call. It was his cousin Ted, in trouble again and needing Sam's help. This day just kept getting better and better.
TEN
Ted Harman was the proverbial black sheep of the family. Sam was an only child, but Ted was like a brother. As children, they had been inseparable. As they grew older Ted's substance abuse issues caused a lot of problems, but Sam never abandoned him. He certainly wasn't going to do that now.
On Monday morning, Sam entered an attorney's consultation room at the Port Mason county courthouse, where his cousin was about to be arraigned. Ted's appearance had changed since the last time Sam saw him. His head was shaved, there were a couple of new tattoos, and he'd grown a long beard. He smiled when Sam walked in.
“Hey rich boy!” he said, jumping up and hugging Sam. “Thanks for the lawyer. She's a piece, isn't she?”
“As much trouble as you're in and you're checking out your lawyer?” Sam asked, shaking his head. Same old Ted.
“Might not be seeing any girls for a while,” Ted said, sitting back down.
“It's your own fault.”
“Shit! Don't start that.”
“Selling cocaine? I'm supposed to be okay with that?”
“Got to make a living.”
Before Sam could reply to that, the lawyer he'd hired came in. Eileen Girardi had been referred to him by Aaron Charlton. She was widely considered the best criminal defense attorney in town and the bane of local law enforcement. Her expression as she sat down was grim.
Girardi was blunt. “This is not good,” she said. “The SWAT team's equipment now includes video cameras mounted on their helmets. They have clear shots of you with the drugs.
Sam shook his head. “Way to go.”
“The police have been building this case for weeks,” Girardi continued. “According to the complaint, their people made several small buys from you and your friends, then tracked you to that house. They have video of the buys, too. Plus, one of your friends is already trying to cut a deal and is pegging you as the ringleader.
“Now for the good news. They're willing to deal it down to a class B charge. You'll get five years, you won't have to go to Crossville, and as long as you behave yourself inside, you'll go to the top of the parole eligibility list.”
“In exchange for what?” Ted asked, warily.
“Your supplier,” Girardi said.
“Fuck that,” Ted said. “I'm not rolling.”
“Are you nuts?” Sam asked. “You want to go to prison?”
“Beats the shit out of being dead,” his cousin replied. “And that's how I'd end up if I talk.”
“You've never seen the inside of Crossville, have you?” Girardi asked.
“Nope.”
“It's a hell on earth,” she said. “The gangs rule the place. Do you really want that to be your life for the next twenty years?”
“It might not be that bad,” Ted said.
“Let me have a moment with him,” Sam said. Girardi left the room.
“You're not talking me out of it,” Ted said. “I don't care what you say.”
“Could they really get to you in jail?” Sam asked.
Ted laughed. “Are you kidding?” he replied. “It's easier to kill someone in there than it is on the outside.”
“There has to be a way.”
“I wish there was,” Ted said, sounding downcast for the first time. “I don't want to go to prison. But I don't want to end up dead, either. Remember what happened to Steve's brother?”
Tom Bennett had been murdered five years earlier. The crime remained unsolved and had set into motion the events that drove Steve off of the police force. “Are these the same people?” Sam asked, incredulously. Steve would go nuts if he found out Ted had the information he'd spent the past few years looking for.
“That's not what I meant,” Ted said. “But word is Tom was killed because he'd been offered a deal and didn't say no right away. That's all it takes in this town. I'm not going to end up the same way.”
“Maybe we can work something else out,” Sam said “Now that I have money, I can--”
“No way!” Ted declared. “You are not getting mixed up in this. It's too dangerous.”
“But--”
“No buts. There is shit you can't get involved with. These people, they wouldn't just take it out on me. They'd come after you, too.”
Sam didn't know what to say to that. “You're the only one who's been decent to me all these years,” his cousin said. “And I love you for it. I may have fucked up my own life, but I won't do that to you or your family. Go spend your money, raise your kids, live your life, do those great things I always knew you could do. Don't worry about me.”
“How can I not worry about you?” Sam asked. “You're going to be in one of the worst prisons in the country.”
“And I'll be protected because I'm keeping my mouth shut,” Ted said. “It'll be alright, Sam. Just promise you'll come visit from time to time. Who knows, I might even get religion in there. Weirder things have happened.”
Sam stared at his cousin for a moment, remembering the good times. Ted teaching him to ride a bike, play baseball, and sneak into R-rated movies. Ted being there for him when his first marriage collapsed and attending the funerals of both of Sam's parents. Sam couldn't stand the thought of Ted going to prison, but after what had been said, he knew there was no way around it.
“We'll pray for you,” he said. “And I'll always be here.”
For once, Ted didn't respond with a wisecrack. The two cousins embraced again, Sam wondered if it was for the last time.
Sam stepped out of the consultation room, looked at Eileen Girardi, and shook his head. “I didn't think you'd be able to talk him out of it,” she said. “And despite what I said about Crossville, I don't blame him for staying quiet. The drug dealers around here don't take kindly to snitches.”
“So I understand,” Sam replied. “Isn't there some way to fight them?”
“Sure, but it would take a lot more money and manpower than this city can afford,” she said. “Especially with the economy the way it is.”
It always came down to money, Sam mused. Then his expression changed. It did always come down to money. That was something he had plenty of. As he left the courthouse, he started making calls.
ELEVEN
When Sam got back to the house, he found Nick Curtis sitting in the living room with Tracie. Nick smiled when Sam came in and even embraced his younger half-brother. That was a surprise. Sam still wasn't sure where Nick stood. “What brings you here?” he asked.
“Business,” Nick said. “What else?”
“Naturally,” Sam said. “What kind of hornet's nest did I stir up?”
“Bill and Jerry are fit to be tied,” Nick said as they all sat down. “Besides the police investigation and your threat, they're in trouble with their wives. Someone sent my sisters-in-law videos of their husbands with other women. Darla and Tessa are both talking to divorce lawyers. What's even more interesting is that these videos are making their way around the company intranet.”
“And why did you come all this way to tell me?” Sam said. “I know you own a phone.”
Nick chuckled. “I thought it would b
e better if we talked in person,” he said. “First, I have to ask if you or your detective friend had anything to do with those videos.”
“I know I didn't,” Sam said.
“And the detective?”
“If Steve pulls something like that, he makes sure the intended target knows who did it.”
“Yeah, he did strike me as that type,” Nick agreed. “I also want to talk to you about the company. How much trouble are you planning to stir up?”
“I may have been blowing smoke,” Sam admitted. “Bill and Jerry really ticked me off.”
Nick laughed hard this time. “I love it!” he exclaimed. “They think you're serious! I've never seen Bill so nervous or Jerry so mad! They are completely terrified that you're going to destroy the company!”
He descended into laughter again. “You don't seem to be too upset about it,” Tracie observed.
“I'm not,” Nick replied. “We really don't have much in common. When I was younger I didn't even want to be part of Curtis Enterprises. It was only when Dad expanded into emerging technologies that I got interested. He wasn't the best father, or human being for that matter, but he had vision.
“That brings me to the main reason I came,” he said. “Would you be willing to exercise your voting share to help me with some things?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Depends on what you have in mind.”
“I want to spin off the new technology division into a separate company,” Nick explained. “Dad wouldn't go along with it and neither do Bill and Jerry. Mama agrees with me and is willing to back the move. Between us we only control forty percent of the voting stock. If you came in with us, we could pull it